brooks



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL AND TAG.

Patented Aug. 10,1897, 1 2 6.

Q .8 ,q DEF. OF AGR. BU.OF AN'VMAL INDUSTRY No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL AND TAG Patentd Aug. 10,1897.

.Iy. Z6

0- -4. DEP.OFAGR. BLLOFANIMALIuuusT INSPECTED MEAT JOHN DOE,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDXVARD .l. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NElV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. J. BROOKS 8: COMPANY, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

SEAL AND TAG.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 588,100, dated August 10, 1897.

Application filed April 14, 1897.

To all whom it 771/031] concern: 1

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seals and Tags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to combined seals and tags for marking inspected 1o meat; and one object of the invention is to construct a combined seal and tag for this purpose wholly of metal and at the same time free from cutting edges, excepting the necessary sharp shackle-point, which is thoroughly I 5 masked when the seal is fastened.

Other objects of the invention are to conveniently and securely unite the parts of a combined seal and tag by means of eyelets integral with one of the parts without ren- 2o dering the same liable to be tampered with through the holes of such eyelets, to preliminarily fasten the seal part to one end of the shackle-wire, and at the same time to adapt the seal part as awhole to be crimped together with both shackle ends transversely of the latter to permanently fasten the seal.

The invention consists in a combined seal and tag and in certain novel combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter set forth and 3,0 claimed.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are face views with appended cross-sections of the respective pieces which form the seal part of the combined seal and tag as they appear before being united. Fig. 3 is a face view with appended cross-section of a guard-plate within said seal part. Fig. at is a face view with 4o appended cross-section of the tag as it appears before being united with the seal part. Fig. 5 represents a magnified section on the lines 5 5, Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, showing said parts united with each other. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a preferred shackle-wire detached. Fig. '7 is a back view of the combined seal and tag as completed by preliminarily fastening one end of the shackle-wire within the seal part. Fig. 8 is a magnified section on the line 8 8, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a back view of the combined seal and tag Serial No. 632,132. (No model.)

threaded, ready for the seal-press. Fig. 10 is a magnified section on the line 10 10, Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a face view of the combined seal and tag as it appears after being pressfastened. Fig. 12 represents a magnified section on the line 12 12, Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a back view of the combined seal and tag, illustrating a modification. Fig. 1415 a detached view of a modified shackle-wire and Figs. 15 to 18, inclusive, represent a modified seal and tag, Fig. 15 being a face view with appended cross-section of the tag; Fig. 16, like views of the distinguishing-piece of the seal part; Fig. 17, an elevation of the seal part and shackle as preliminarily united with each other, and Fig. 18 an elevation of the modified seal-and tag press-fastened.

Like letters and numbers refer to like parts in all the' figures.

.In each of the several forms of seal and tag represented by the drawings a flexible shackle A,conveniently and preferably of single wire, is combined with a seal part B, the latter composed of two pieces 1 and 2, stamped from sheet metal in the forms shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 16 and in Fig. 2, respectively, said piece 1 having at its margin a crown-flange a, Figs. 1 and 16, and said piece 2 having a fiat marginal flange or rim 1;, Fig. 2, which is overlapped by the crown-flange a when the parts are united, as in Fig. 5 or Fig. 17, and a threading-tunnel 0, formed by a central oblong dome having openings 61 and .e punched in its respective ends. One end of the shackle A may be and is preferably fastened in the seal part, as at f, Figs. 7, 8, and 17, and after both ends are within the threading-tunnel c, as in Figs. 9 and 10, they are permanently fastened in a neat and secure manner by crimps g, Figs. 11, 12, and 18, transverse to the shackle ends,with or without accompanying press-marks h to indicate the seal-press used in the fastening operation.

In the species represented by Figs. 1.to 12, inclusive, the flexible shackle A has a sharp point 19 and a short zigzag anchoring enlargement 20 at its respective ends. The seal part B is correspondingly constructed with threading-holes d and c of different sizes, the former admitting the anchoring enlargement 20, as in Figs. 8 and 10, while the hole 6 is more closely fitted tothe single wire, so as to prevent the escape of the anchoring enlarge- Within the seal part, as in Figs. 4 and 5, and

a flat guard -plate D, stamped from sheet metal, as in Fig. 3, is inclosed within the seal part to prevent tampering with the shackle ends through the holes of said eyelets 22. Said tag C is furthermore constructed with rolled edges 23, Fig. 4, and with a sealing-panel 24, with which said eyelets 22 are integral, all of which project rearwardly with reference to the face of the tag, as in Fig. 4, and are readily stamped at a single stamping operation. The

face of the tag 0 is provided with suitable lettering and distinguishing-marks, including,

preferably, a serial number 25 on the face of the tag, (shown in Figs. 4 and 11,) and the tag is further provided, preferably, with a hole 26, Fig. 4, so that the tags may be conveniently strung upon wires in the order of their numbers.

In assembling the parts of the combined seal and tag represented by said Figs. 1- to 12, inclusive, the cup-piece 1 of the seal part B is first attached to the back of the tag C by means of the eyelets 22. The guard-plate D is then dropped into said cup-piece, followed by the back piece 2 of the seal part, which is then permanently closed by turning down the crown-flange a of the piece 1 upon the rim 1) of the piece 2, as illustrated by Fig. 5. The sharp point 19 of the shackle A is .then passed into and through the threading-tunnel c, as illustrated by the arrow in Fig. 5, and the anchoring enlargement 20 is drawn home within the threading-tunnel and fastened at f, .as above described. The combined seal and tag is then ready to be packed for shipment or carried by the sealer in the form represented by Figs. 7 and 8. To prepare it for the sealpress, the sharp point 19 is again inserted, as

in Figs. 9 and 10, and as thus inserted is securely masked by the threading-tunnel c. A seal press having dies adapted to produce the crimps g and press-marks h, Figs. 11 and 12, or an equivalent sealing effect, is then applied to the tag 0 within the panel 24 and to the seal part B, so as to permanently fasten both shackle ends within the seal part and to insure the genuineness of the tag found so attached and intact. My improved ratchetpress, patented October 20, 1896, by United States Letters Patent No. 569,742, is preferred for this purpose.

Instead of printing or otherwise forming the serial number 25 on the face of the tag it may be conveniently stamped into the back of the tag, as illustrated by Fig. 13, in the act of closing down the flange ato complete the seal part B or in the act of stamping the seal part at f to fasten in the shackle-wire A, and in the combined seal and tag it is not considered essential that the shackle-wire should be preliminarily fastened in, or if so fastened in that the anchoring device 20 should be of the specific form above described. The latter serves, however, to facilitate securely fastening the seal by crimping the seal part B as a whole and the subjacent sealing-panel 24 of the tag 0, as in Figs. 11 and 12.

Where the shackle A is not preliminarily fastened in bymeans of an anchoring device, as above described, the zigzag bends may be advantageously employed, as shown at 27, Fig. 14, to form stop-shoulders at the inner ends of straight extremities 28, so as to facilitate locating the latter properly within the threading-tunnel c of the seal part, and one or both straight extremities may be made of sufficient length to extend through and be bent to preliminarily fast-en in the shackle, as in some of my seals heretofore patented. The zigzag bends 27 may be confined to those portions of the shackle adjacent to the straight extremities, or may be continuous from one stop-shoulder to the other, or the shackle may be made wholly of zigzag Wire.

The detached tag, Fig.15, has the curled edge 23 and the stringing-hole 26, abovedescribed, and may be identical with the preliminary attached tag apart from the eyelets 22 and panel 24 of the latter. It is strung on the shackle Ain preparing the parts for the seal press and is permanently united with the shackle A and seal part B at the pressing operation, as illustrated by Fig. 18. A seal for use in connection with said detached tag, or for use separately, may be advantageously formed by combining the shackle-wire A, Fig. 6, with a sheet-metal seal part B, having the principal characteristics of the sheet-metal seal part above described, as illustrated by Figs. 16 to18, inclusive, the modified seal part having its cup-piece 1 constructed, as shown in Fig. 16, with the crown-flange Ct of the piece 1, Fig. 1, but without the holes 21 of the latter. The piece 2 of the modified seal part is identical with the piece 2, Fig. 2, above described. The pieces 1 and 2 are united with each other by means of the crown-flange a. The anchoring enlargement 20 is stopped within the threading-tunnel c by a small hole 8 at one end of said tunnel and is fastened in place at f, as above described, and after the shackle end 19 is threaded into the tunnel c the seal is permanently fastened by transverse crimps g, Fig. 18, and is or may be provided at the same time with identifying press-marks h, Fig. 18, identical with the crimps and press marks of the combined seal and tag, Figs. 1 to 12, inclusive.

The sheet-metal tags 0 may be oval or of any preferred shape, but should in all cases have their edges curled or turned over to keep them from cutting the sealers and those Who have to handle thetagged meat. lhe seal part may be likewise modified in shape and may be attached in the combined seal and tag, Figs. 1 to 12, by a single eyelet, or more than two, if preferred, and may be adapted to cross the shackle ends, as set forth in my previous specification, forming part of Patent No. 573,758, dated December 22, 1896,

Fig. 7, and other like modifications Will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Although primarily intended for application to inspected meat, as above described, the combined seal and tag or its shackle and seal part may be used to secure express or freight cars, baggage, &o., the sharp shaeklepoint being in this case preferably omitted.

Having thus described the said improve ment, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this speeification- 1. A combined seal and tag, for inspected meat, comprising a flexible shackle having a sharp point and an anchoring enlargement at its respective ends, a seal part having a threading-tunnel Within which the shackle end last named is preliminarily fastened and adapted to receive and mask said sharp point, and provided with eyelet-admitting holes, and a sheet-metal tag having rolled edges, 21 sealing-panel, and scal-part-attaching eyelets integral with said panel, all of which project rearwardly with reference to the face of the tag, substantially as herein before specified.

2. A combined seal and tag composed of a flexible shackle, a seal part 0t sheet metal within which the ends of said shackle are fastened, and provided with eyelet-admitting holes, a sheet-metal tag having eyelets integral therewith by which said seal part is fixedly attached thereto, and a guard-plate Within said seal part to mask the openings of said eyelets, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

3. The combination, with a flexible shackle- Wire having a sharp point at one end and a zigzag anchoring enlargement at its other end, of a sheet-metal seal part having a raised threading-tunnel With large and small holes at its respective ends, Within which tunnel said anchoring enlargement is preliminarily fastened and said sharp point is in.

closed and masked, and adapted to be crimped as a Whole transversely of both shackle ends to permanently fasten the seal, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDXVARD J. BROOKS. \Vi tnesses:

H. L. G. WENK, THoMAs TIERNEY. 

